Imagine a friend of yours accompanies you everywhere you go; they see everything you do, and hear everything you say, both when you are alone and when you are with other people. They don’t draw attention to themselves, or give direct reaction to your behaviors, but all the same you are aware of them and have an idea of how they feel about you at all times. Presuming you aren’t harboring resentment for this friend, you may avoid acting in a way that would elicit their disappointment, and you certainly wouldn’t outright insult or slander them to others. Many would even be hesitant to behave thus in the presence of enemies, preferring to discredit them in their absence; how much more considerate are we in our positive relationships? Should one act so reprehensibly in their supposed friendships, surely such would signal an end thereto, if not retaliation!
Yet this is not an inaccurate parallel to how so many of us treat God in our lives. In His omnipresence, His presence pervades all space and beyond, but we often ignore Him. In His omniscience, He is aware of our very thoughts, much less our expressions thereof, but we pretend they are hidden to all but ourselves. In His omnipotence and righteousness, He is fully capable and justified in punishing us for our flippancy, but we seem so often to rely arrogantly upon His mercy as an excuse for apathy. I am not accusing anyone of malicious disobedience against God (though it does happen), but it remains that we do not respect the will of God as we ought; for the sake of His love and our hope, it behooves us all to apply ourselves to our calling and make effort toward the work of the Holy Spirit in us.
In many ways, I perceive this to be the purpose of prayer. To be sure, God Himself is not in need of prayer to inform Him as to our needs, nor for sustenance of praise (as some outside the Faith have foolishly speculated). As with so many of His ordinances, the true purpose of prayer is as a blessing to us, whereby our awareness of Him is refreshed and our perception of the work of the Spirit heightened. By consciously seeking audience with God, we are put in mind to the revelation of His will, thereby renewing our hope, strengthening our faith, and inciting us to greater exercise of love. Just as the companionship of a friend can encourage us to behave according to their expectations, heartfelt prayer can serve to reinforce our commitment to Christ. No wonder Paul urged the Thessalonian believers to pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Pray often, for all things. TTT